10 Ways to Build Your Platform Online

By Stephanie Chandler

1. Launch a Website: No matter where you are in the process, a website is a place to showcase your talents. Use yours to build an audience, share samples of your work, showcase your accomplishments and impress publishing professionals.

2. Host a Blog: A blog is essentially an online diary where you post brief entries (one to three paragraphs) about topics related to your work. This can be a wonderful creative outlet for a writer, not to mention a savvy promotion tool. Do it right and your audience will find you. For ideas on how to develop yours, you can peruse all kinds of blogs at www.BlogCatalog.com. To start yours, check out www.Typepad.com or www.Wordpress.com.

3. Update Online Profiles: Many sites allow you to post a bio with your public profile. Make sure you have several versions of your bio readily available in short, medium and long formats. This will not only prevent you from having to recreate it each time, but it will ensure that your message is consistent. Showcase your expertise in your subject matter, mention your book(s) and always include a link to your site and/or blog.

4. Publish a Newsletter: Build loyal fans for life by publishing an interesting electronic newsletter with content related to your book(s). My first newsletter went out to a whopping eight people several years ago. Today it goes out to thousands of subscribers. Include a sign-up box on every page of your site. Get started with www.ConstantContact.com or www.iContact.com.

5. Form Online Partnerships: Find people who reach a similar target audience and look for ways to team up and promote each other. You can publish articles on each other’s websites or newsletters, host an event or contest together or even share a blog. Be creative and pool your resources.

6. Promote with Articles: Write for industry publications and related websites to build your credibility. Writing opportunities are abundant on the Internet—go out and find them. You can also make your articles available for reprint through sites like www.ezinearticles.com and www.ideamarketers.com.

7. Leverage Social Networking: Sites like LinkedIn.com, Facebook.com, Twitter.com and countless others are ripe for finding and building an audience. Create an interesting profile and get active in social networking communities. The biggest cost here will be in your time so spend it wisely and identify the best opportunities to expand your reach.

8. Participate in Online Groups and Forums: Find online communities where your target audience looms and
make a name for yourself by sharing information. If you really want to stand out, start and lead your own group.
Some good places to start are http://groups.yahoo.com/, Facebook Groups, and www.Ning.com.

9. Contact Bloggers: Search blog directories such as www.Technorati.com to locate blogs that cover subjects related to yours. Contact the top-ranked bloggers to inquire about book reviews, guest posts, interviews and other ways you can work together.

10. Be a Guest on Internet Radio Shows: Podcasts, teleseminars and Internet radio shows provide a fantastic opportunity for exposure. Unlike traditional radio where you might be interviewed for 10 minutes, online shows typically have guests on for up to an hour. An added bonus: listeners are often at their computers ready to buy. To find relevant shows, search Google for keywords and look at shows archived on iTunes. Also check out sites like www.blogtalkradio.com, www.alltalkradio.net, www.wsradio.com, www.womensradio.com, and www.planetteleclass.com.

About the Author
Stephanie Chandler is an author of several business and marketing books including “The Author’s Guide to Building an Online Platform: Leverage the Internet to Sell More Books” and “From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money with Books, eBooks and Information Products.”

She is also founder and CEO of www.AuthorityPublishing.com, which provides custom book publishing and author marketing services for business, self-help and other non-fiction books. A frequent speaker at business events and on the radio, she has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, BusinessWeek, Inc.com and many other media outlets. Visit www.StephanieChandler.com for author and speaker information. Additional resources for entrepreneurs, authors and speakers are available at www.BusinessInfoGuide.com.

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